The day after Emmy's birthday, there just so happened to be a Memphis football game, and that game just so happened to be the biggest of the season against Ole Miss, and my dad just so happened to still be in town, so we went! Memphis went into the game undefeated, and Ole Miss only had one loss, having been ranked #3 in the nation just a couple weeks earlier. It was a huge game.
Ole Miss is only about an hour from Memphis so the stadium was actually about half and half in terms of fans. Ole Miss fans were already talking trash before the game ever started. We were offered some alcohol from and Ole Miss kid and declined, which earned us a loud, "YEAH I'D BE SCARED TOO IF WE WERE PLAYING THE REBELS!!! WOOOOOOOO!!!! HOTTY TODDY!!! Dad and I learned for the first time that "hotty toddy" is not only a phrase Ole Miss fans say to each other in passing, but is also a war cry that they scream as loud as they can at any time for no apparent reason. There is even a song that goes with it, which they sang at least 50 times over the course of the game. We are generally nice people, but they made us absolutely hate Ole Miss by the end of the game.
It only got worse when the game started and Memphis went down 14-0 in the first quarter. Dad and I made a pact that if we were down by three touchdowns or more by halftime we would go home. WELL HOTTY TODDY IN YOUR FACE BECAUSE MEMPHIS NOT ONLY RALLIED, WE KICKED YOUR HOTTY TODDY BUTTS! Memphis went on a 37-10 run for the rest of the game, and slowly but surely, the "Hotty Toddy" chants got quieter and less frequent. It was a satisfying silence.
With the win, Memphis kept their undefeated season alive and got a lot of national attention for beating a ranked program from the SEC. Some of the fans even rushed the field afterward.
It was a fun game to be at, and was a perfect choice for our first experience in the Liberty Bowl!
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